Jaimoe

The Petawawa Expierience.

Son Seals is a Chicago legend. I saw him at Buddy Guy's for 10 bucks last summer. That's 10 bucks! He's very influential and he's a lot more than "Funky Bitch". A lot of Phishheads think Phish wrote the song. I'll be there on the 23rd, maybe even on the 22nd too. Here's a little Son Seals biography from the All Music Guide:

It all started with a phone call from Wesley Race, who was at the Flamingo Club on Chicago's South Side, to Alligator Records owner Bruce Iglauer. Race was raving about a new find, a young guitarist named Son Seals. He held the phone in the direction of the bandstand, so Iglauer could get an on-site report. It didn't take long for Iglauer to scramble into action. Alligator issued Seals's 1973 eponymous debut album, which was followed by six more.

Son Seals, born Frank Seals, was born into the blues. His dad operated a juke joint called the Dipsy Doodle Club in Osceola, AR, where Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert Nighthawk, and Albert King cavorted up front while little Frank listened intently in back. Drums were the youth's first instrument; he played them behind Nighthawk at age 13. But by the time he was 18, Son Seals turned his talents to guitar, fronting his own band in Little Rock.

While visiting his sister in Chicago, he hooked up with Earl Hooker's Roadmasters in 1963 for a few months, and there was a 1966 stint with Albert King that sent him behind the drumkit once more. But with the death of his father in 1971, Seals returned to Chicago, this time for good. When Alligator signed him up, his days fronting a band at the Flamingo Club and the Expressway Lounge were numbered.

Seals's jagged, uncompromising guitar riffs and gruff vocals were showcased very effectively on that 1973 debut set, which contained his "Your Love Is like a Cancer" and a raging instrumental called "Hot Sauce." Midnight Son, his 1976 encore, was by comparison a much slicker affair, with tight horns, funkier grooves, and a set list that included "Telephone Angel" and "On My Knees." Seals cut a live LP in 1978 at Wise Fools Pub; another studio concoction, Chicago Fire, in 1980, and a solid set in 1984, Bad Axe, before having a disagreement with Iglauer that that was patched up in 1991 with the release of his sixth Alligator set, Living in the Danger Zone. Nothing but the Truth followed in 1994, sporting some of the worst cover art in CD history but a stinging lineup of songs inside. Another live recording was planned for June of 1996 at Buddy Guy's Legends.

Seals prefers to remain close to his Chicago home these days, holding his touring itinerary to an absolute minimum. That means that virtually every weekend he can be found somewhere on the North side blues circuit, dishing up his raw-edged brand of bad blues axe to local followers. — Bill Dahl

Battlefield Earth.

Congratulations to the Jimmy Swift Band for winning Best Alternative Rock Band at the East Coast Music Awards. They were interviewed on tonight's Loop Weekend program on MuchMoreMusic -for about 15 seconds. Still, they were recognized. These guys are going places. One of my favourite Canadian bands. Well done.

nero was great Friday night. I had a lot of fun. I almost danced too! I was surprised that nero is a fusion/jazz band. A great musical mix. Nice guys too. Thanks for the show nero and I hope you make it back to Toronto soon. Those G & L's sounded great.

They have a great attitude about music and performing and they have a great deal of respect for their fans. Very admirable. However, I'm not sure they can write a decent melodic song anymore - actually, since the Ten album. Their last hit ( and their biggest ) was a cover. Hopefully their next studio release will prove me wrong. I've seen them live and they do put on a good show.

The North Mississippi Allstars play Lee's Palace on March 11th. You don't want to miss this show, and Lee's has a lot better sound than the Opera House ( see Galactic reviews ). I can't wait. Hopefully they'll play some Word tunes. See you there.

The sound sucked. Houseman was the only thing that kept me interested in the first set ( and I'm not a Houseman fan and I don't like the late actor John Houseman either) - along with the bad sound, the first set was flat too. I went to the balcony during the first set and it sounded good. Anyway, the 2nd set was really good. I hope they play a better venue next time around.

The sound sucked. Houseman was the only thing that kept me interested in the first set ( and I'm not a Houseman fan and I don't like the late actor John Houseman either) - along with the bad sound, the first set was flat too. I went to the balcony during the first set and it sounded good. Anyway, the 2nd set was really good. I hope they play a better venue next time around.

I'm pulling for the Pats. Look for a wild 2nd half.

I'll check the libraries for Let It Be. It may even be in the Bravo! library. I'll do some checking tonight or tomorrow.

I bought their cd 5 months ago. Killer stuff.

Hey Mike. I'll check the City/Much library for The Last Waltz. You can rent the movie very easily. I've rented it several times over the years. I've never seen the widescreen version however - which really sucks. I hate pan-and-scan! I'm buying the DVD for sure.

GTB was a great show last night at the Comfort Zone. It was my first time seeing those guys and it was well worth the wait.

You better be going Dave. I'm on the hook for your ticket. It'll be easy to get sell however.

No reba it isn't... do you think it would work?

I hope it's funnier than that god-awful Who episode. Mike Gordon in cartoon form alone should ensure that.

Hey neroboy,

Are you guys are bringing some of your cds to sell at the Comfort Zone show? I'm buying if you're selling.

Hey Nero dude,

I can put up some posters at Citytv/MuchMusic. Just say the word.

From Rolling Stone:

Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio will release his solo debut -- and his second non-Phish project in the span of a year -- on April 30th.

The album was recorded over the past nine months in Anastasio's barn studio in Vermont. Bryce Goggin, who produced Phish's last studio album, 2000's Farmhouse, co-produced the set with Anastasio. Backing Anastasio is the touring band he took on the road last summer, which includes drummer Russ Lawton, bassist Tony Markellis, keyboardist Ray Paczkowski and a four-piece brass section. A thirty-five-piece orchestra was also incorporated on some tracks.

Anastasio's band is one of two projects he worked during 2001. Last year he also toured and released an album, The Grand Pecking Order, with Oysterhead, a trio that also included Primus bassist Les Claypool and Police drummer Stewart Copeland.

Anastasio and his band are planning to hit the road to promote the album in May.

The North Mississippi Allstars are playing Buffalo in mid March. Maybe we'll see The Word in Toronto sometime around then... hopefully? If anything, it wouldn't be a stgretch to see the Allstars book a Toronto gig a day before the Buffalo show - like March 10th.

I know Days Of You. So does Andre, Mike, Dave, Paul Blaker etc... They used to play Kingston all the time, back in the late 80's early 90's. They broke up about 5 or 6 years ago ( approximately ), but I believe they are attempting a come-back. They were scheduled to play the Comfort Zone in early October but had to cancel due to drummer problems. I was there that night and was quite disappointed. Personally, I always liked Days Of You. My only critique of them was that they always sounded a little too Dead-like. Since they played mostly new material, their sound always came off to me as being Dead-light. Still, I hope they start playing again. I'm pretty sure they headquarter in Toronto. Ask Andre about them Graham. He went to tons of shows.

I'd love to hear how Trey sounded playing that Telecaster at the wedding. Loving Cup must have sounded " particularly " Stonesy.

I believe I just spelled Jerry Garcia, Gerry Garcia. I guess my 30 Dead cds, multiple Dead pictures and concert photos, countless records and bootlegs and a personal guitar hero of mine, is not enough for me to spell Jerry's name correctly. No excuse. Even a stoner Deadhead ( referring to the Toronto Sun/Star articles ) wouldn't get his name wrong.

The current issue of Now Magazine has a good review of Grateful Dawg. The woman who reviewed the film is not a Deadhead, but defininately a music fan. She gave the film 3 out of 5, stating that she wanted to see more interviews with Garcia - there are only 2 audio only interview Garcia segments in the film. She also pointed out that a lot of the footage was out of focus. This is not a critique of Garcia and Grisman's music, it's a critique of material availibility and editing techniques. She also wanted to see more background on Gerry's Dead work. This is fair because documentaries should strive to educate and entertain people, not just Deadheads.